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Webster 1913 Edition

Forgive

For-give′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Forgave
;
p. p.
Forgiven
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Forgiving
]
[OE.
forgiven
,
foryiven
,
foryeven
, AS.
forgiefan
,
forgifan
; perh.
for-
+
giefan
,
gifan
to give; cf. D.
vergeven
, G.
vergeben
, Icel.
fyrirgefa
, Sw.
f[GREEK]rgifva
, Goth.
fragiban
to give, grant. See
For-
, and
Give
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to resign.
To them that list the world’s gay shows I leave,
And to great ones such folly do
forgive
.
Spenser.
2.
To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon; – said in reference to the act forgiven.
And their sins should be
forgiven
them.
Mark iv. 12.
He
forgive
injures so readily that he might be said to invite them.
Macaulay.
3.
To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong committed; to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; – said of the person offending.
Father,
forgive
them; for they know not what they do.
Luke xxiii. 34.
I as free
forgive
you, as I would be
fforgiven
.
Shakespeare
Syn. – See
excuse
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Forgive

FORGIVE

,
Verb.
T.
forgiv'. pret. forgave; pp. forgiven. [L. remitto. See Give.]
1.
To pardon; to remit, as an offense or debt; to overlook an offense, and treat the offender as not guilty. The original and proper phrase is to forgive the offense, to send it away, to reject it, that is, not to impute it, [put it to] the offender. But by an easy transition, we also use the phrase, to forgive the person offending.
Forgive us our debts.
If we forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. Matt. 6.
As savages never forget a favor, so they never forgive an injury.
It is to be noted that pardon, like forgive, may be followed by the name or person, and by the offense; but remit can be followed by the offense only. We forgive or pardon the man, but we do not remit him.
2.
To remit as a debt, fine or penalty.

Definition 2024

forgive

forgive

English

Verb

forgive ‎(third-person singular simple present forgives, present participle forgiving, simple past forgave, past participle forgiven)

  1. (transitive) To pardon, to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment.
    Only the brave know how to forgive...A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature. - Laurence Sterne
  2. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • forgive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • forgive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Etymology

From for- +‎ give, Middle English forȝiven ‎(“to forgive”), replacing Middle English foryiven, from Old English forġiefan ‎(“to forgive, give up, provide”), from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną ‎(“to give away; give up; release; forgive”). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie ‎(“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan ‎(“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven ‎(“to forgive”), German vergeben ‎(“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa ‎(“to forgive”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: fər-gĭv', fôr-gĭv', IPA(key): /fə(r)ˈɡɪv/, /fɔː(r)ˈɡɪv/
  • Rhymes: -ɪv

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